EDGAR URGES TOUGHER DRUNK DRIVING LAWS

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Motorists convicted of three drunken driving offenses would face automatic suspension of their driver`s licenses for up to 10 years and prison terms of up to 3 years under stricter state laws proposed Thursday by Secretary of State Jim Edgar. Second time offenders would lose their driving privileges for a minimum of 5 years. Edgar said that the new law is needed because under current law, ''the driver`s license penalty is the same, whether it is a first offense or a fifth offense.'' The penalties would not be subject to any time limit, which some lawmakers said could mean an individual could be punished, perhaps unjustly, for incidents several years apart.